VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday heard arguments from both selected and non-selected Group-I candidates over alleged irregularities in the manual evaluation of answer scripts, with the non-selected candidates seeking cancellation of the Main examination and a fresh test or independent re-evaluation of the scripts.
Senior counsel Jandhyala Ravishankar and advocate Jonnalagadda Sudheer, appearing for the non-selected candidates, submitted that irregularities had occurred at various stages of the evaluation process. Referring to the SIT and forensic reports, they alleged that the manual evaluation conducted at Hailand was not carried out in accordance with the prescribed rules.
They said the forensic examination found differences between digital and manual evaluation, with marks of 157 candidates increasing and those of 222 candidates decreasing during manual evaluation. They also referred to alleged corrections and overwriting in OMR evaluation slips and submitted that the findings indicated large-scale irregularities.
The counsel urged the Division Bench to uphold the single judge’s order cancelling the Group-I Main examination and conducting it afresh. Alternatively, they requested that the answer scripts be evaluated by an independent agency under the supervision of a retired High Court judge. Senior counsel appearing for the selected candidates,
Abhinandan Kumar Shavari and Raghuram, argued that corrections or overwriting on OMR sheets were mistakes committed by examiners and that candidates should not be held responsible for them. They contended that the SIT had not established any irregularity in the selection of candidates. APP SC’s counsel, GVLN Murthy, submitted that the Commission’s rules permitted candidates to seek recounting but not re-evaluation. Murthy said there were no allegations regarding the conduct of the APP SC Group-I Main examination itself and that the dispute was confined only to evaluation of answer scripts.